Harry Potter and Lily's Plan
by SummerCastle
Summary: Lily Evans was not a true Seer, but she had minor talent to see possibilities, and she did not like the future she saw. She set in motion a plan that would disrupt the plans laid down by others, and allow her son a chance for happiness. Away from Britain, away from Hogwarts, and away from Dumbledore. Smart!Harry, Bad!Dumbles, Bad!Weasleys. Possibly Harry/Multi (?) later on.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: Spirited Away

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

It was a late night in the fall, and most of the people on Privet Drive were sleeping soundly. It was awfully chilly outdoors, and people preferred the warm comforts of their beds too much to care even as the banging noise of a motorcycle was briefly audible outside. Even the gossips were far too comfy to get up, or even awaken to the noise.

Yet as the streetlights once more shone on the streets a basket could be seen left on the doorstep of the number four Privet Drive. It was the home of Dursleys, a family of normal people that wanted nothing strange to interfere with their lives. Their reaction to the unpleasant surprise of finding a baby left on their doorstep would have been bad enough, but it was the fact who the child was that would have driven them frothing rage.

The child was Harry James Potter, and the son of the late Lily Potter, born Evans. Lily was the sister of Petunia Dursley, born Evans, and a bright and gifted young woman who had outshone her sister even before it was revealed she was a witch, planting seeds of envy and hatred in Petunia. Petunia in turn had cultivated the dislike of unnatural things in her husband Vernon to an outright hatred, spinning lies of how badly the magicals treated the muggles, or normal people.

So it seemed the child was destined for a life of hardships, misery and emotional abuse in a household where he would forever be an outsider, an unwanted burden and a reminder of the things they did not want to think about. It would have left Harry a quiet, meek child who would have been desperate to escape that life and eager to grasp onto any alternative. It was a cruel scheme by an old manipulative bastard who had to know exactly what he was doing by leaving the child there.

A lone raven took off the branch of a decorative tree nearby and flew towards the baby in the basket, the shadow on the house wall seeming to grow and change in the span of just one or two seconds, revealing the slender figure of a woman in its place. Pale fingers gently lifted the basket and the baby in it, and piercing green eyes gazed upon the child quietly for a moment, a smile tugging at the corner of full, dark lips.

"I didn't want to believe it, but Lily was right. Come on, little boy, this is no place for a decent wizard. I am sure these _people _will be much happier too when you will not be found on their doorstep next morning, even if they might be upset to have the old bastard storm in on their home demanding answers later."

Kissing the babe's head gently, the raven-turned-lady noticed the small scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, and felt the magic in it. Shiver ran through her body as she thought about the rest of what Lily had told her. James Potter might have believed in Dumbledore and his friends, but Lily was not as naïve as to leave it all to chance. Not when her instincts screamed for her to prepare for this eventuality, not when her minor talents in divination gave her signs that death approached her family.

"I'll take care of you Harry."

The shadows shifted once more into the shape of a raven taking flight, and as it rose to the sky all that was left on the doorstep was a lone black feather.

OOOOOO

Albus Dumbledore had been too tired to pay any attention to the trinkets in his office when he had returned to Hogwarts after the little trip to Little Whinging. The child was left at the doorstep of a family that would hate him and hopefully break his spirit, his magic had been bound, and the scar that Voldemort gave him had been left untreated. He had too many things on his mind and he was tired from everything he had been forced to put into motion in a hurry, and all he wanted to do was sleep. So it was no surprise he missed the fact the trinkets that were supposed to monitor Harry's wellbeing and location were starting to grind to a halt.

The next morning was a busy one as well. The gossip had reached Hogwarts that he-who-must-not-be-named had attacked the Potters last night, and had been defeated. People were curious and the rumors were too widespread for Dumbledore to do anything about it anymore. While he had wanted the glory for himself, he was resigned to the fact that this legend would not be about him.

Getting the Potter will sealed took most of his time until noon, and he had to fight to gain guardianship over Harry. Several prominent families wanted to take care of the boy, but he could not let the child grow in the wizarding world. He needed the boy a meek puppet he could manipulate later in life, someone that felt indebted to him for releasing him from the misery that the boy's relatives were sure to pile up on him, at least for the duration of each school year. If the boy was brought up in a wizard household the lad might not be as obedient, and Albus was not willing to risk it.

When he finally held the documents declaring him the young Potter's legal guardian in his grasp, he had marched to Gringotts and demanded access to the Potter vaults immediately. The fact that James had been willing to fund his Order of the Phoenix before had shown him just how extensive the Potter wealth was, but the payments had ended with James' death and even before that Lily had made sure that James would not give too much gold to the old headmaster and his order.

The goblin had taken one look at the document, sneered at him and pushed it back towards him. "The Potters have already declared Sirius Black is their son's legal guardian."

"Sirius Black is the one responsible for James and Lily's death, and is on his way to the Azkaban even as we speak." Albus put on his best sad and resigned expression, watching the goblin quietly. Damn things were near impossible to read with legilimency, and his wandless ability with it was good enough to get a read from children but not nearly enough to get even an impression from an experienced goblin banker.

"Hmmh. Very well, I suppose he is indisposed for the moment." The goblin glared at him angrily at this.

"Yes, quite so. Now, I need the keys to the Potter accounts-"

"I am afraid that isn't possible. The Potter vaults are sealed." The goblin smirked cruelly at this.

"Hmmh, yes well, they were, but I am demanding access and for the vaults to be unsealed so-"

"Until the Potter heir himself arrives here the vaults will remain frozen, and you cannot overturn that even if you are his guardian. This is a family edict, and cannot be overruled by anyone but the heir himself." The goblin's grin widened as Dumbledore sputtered and growled, tugging at his beard and trying to calm himself down.

"Now look, I am the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, and I demand-"

"Careful, wizard, you are on Goblin territory and if you demand we break our customers privacy and betray their orders to suit you, you will be thrown out and barred from this establishment for a year!"

The goblin had shouted this loud enough to draw attention, and people were starting to whisper and stare at him curiously. Security goblins had gotten up and moved closer too, and Albus Dumbledore knew that he had lost this time. He'd come back with paperwork that he would use to strangle the money out of these goblins if he needed to. These green-skinned little buggers wouldn't keep him away from the fortune that should be his, and family edicts be damned. James wouldn't have done that. It smelled like Lily's interference, that bloody bitch was causing him headaches from beyond the grave.

When Albus had finally arrived to his office late that evening, he was shocked to discover the shelf housing the trinkets that were supposed to monitor Harry had exploded and the dozen or so trinkets lay broken on the floor, their enchantments broken. Something had happened, and the few drops of blood he had taken from the babe to make the trinkets had also been ruined by this.

Albus Dumbledore got a chill down his spine at that sight. Surely the Dursleys could not have just killed Harry? He was certain they would hate the ruddy bugger but they were not murderers, were they? He did not want to think it was possible but something had obviously happened. It was time to get answers, and he knew he would only get them from the Dursleys themselves.

OOOOOO

Despite Dumbledore's attempts to silence the news, the Daily Prophet somehow got wind that Dumbledore had lost the Potter child, and that his relatives had never even known that Harry was supposed to be at their care. Their outright hostility towards the reporter had painted them as very unpleasant fashion and people began to question why Dumbledore wanted to send the child to them in the first place.

Dumbledore used his influence to start a massive manhunt for Harry Potter all over England, and then all over Europe. He feared the boy was dead, but the goblins should have sent notice if that was true. Something was going on, but the green bastards refused to let him know what they knew. The idea that Potter was alive but being raised by someone else terrified him more than the idea of the child's death. That would mean he would not get his puppet, it would mean that the boy would not look up to him and serve his interests, it meant the boy might not bend to his will and allow him to achieve his goals even if they had been delayed till the boy had matured enough to hand over his fortune to Dumbledore when he received his keys.

He lost his position in the International Confederation of Wizards, the Chairman throwing him out and revoking the Supreme Mugwump title which had allowed him to push the decisions the way he wanted. He managed to hold onto his position as a Chief Wizard in the Wizengamot, but his opponents managed to force him to some concession in order to remain there.

All because of one wayward brat had managed to slip free from his grasp. The search was proving useless as well, and Dumbledore began to worry that Harry had been taken over to the colonies. If he was in America it would be difficult to get the boy back, ICW held power in Europe but it had little influence across the ocean. It would be difficult if the boy had managed to flee that far.

A year passed, and no signs of Harry Potter emerged. He had tried to send the boy some letters by owl in the hopes of tracing them, but the owls returned with undelivered letters. The list of students would reveal where the young lad had gotten but it would not do that for nine more years. Albus did not like it but it seemed he had little choice on the matter. Without even a clue as to what had happened or any idea where the boy might have gotten Albus Dumbledore was left brooding and complaining.

OOOOOO

Far away, a young baby boy was sleeping comfortably with a stomach full of milk, and a content smile on his face. The faint scar on his forehead still hadn't completely vanished, but it was a lot less pronounced than it had been when he was left alone at that doorstep over a year ago. The soft humming of a woman rocking his bed quietly soothed him even in his dreams, allowing the troubled young child to continue healing.

The pale fingers rose to brush a bit of the wild, dark hair off of his eyes and she looked at her young ward with a smile on her lips. While the British wizards were panicking and rushing around like headless chickens to find the boy after making the mistake of trusting him with Dumbledore, she had been busy setting everything in order. The official papers had been turned impervious to harm and framed on the wall of her home, declaring her the legal magical guardian of one Harry James Potter and recognizing him as her adopted son.

She would not have access to the Potter vaults but she had enough influence (and goodwill) with the goblins to request for the vaults contents to be transferred to her homeland and put on a freeze order until Harry had come of age. The Potter properties that were not in use were under heavy wards already anyway, and the ones that were in use were paying rent which she was eventually granted access to as long as she would present paperwork proving it was spent on young Harry. She had not touched that account yet, but she knew it would come in handy when time came for Harry to go to school.

OOOOOO OOOOOO

First Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 02: Rising Sun

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

The dawn's light shone bright, and despite the subtle seduction of soft sheets a young man felt himself stir awake in his bed. The scent of a breakfast being prepared wafted into his nose further enticing him to abandon the futile struggle to sleep just a few more minutes.

The young man had been up late last night because of what day it was. The first of April! He would be starting school today, and the thought scared him a little, even though it also excited him. Tossing and turning nervously until late, he had finally fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion despite those worries and anxiety.

"Harry, breakfast is ready!"

Pushing aside the sheets and sitting up, the young man rubbed the corners of his eyes and let out a loud yawn. He still had time, but he didn't want to let the breakfast get cold. Hurrying to the bathroom he took care of refreshing himself quickly, then heading downstairs.

"I was starting to think you fell asleep again. Eat up, you don't want to be late."

Harry looked at his mother's long black hair and wondered once again just how she managed to keep it smooth and straight, when his own was like a wild bird's nest, and just as stubborn as he was.

Taking a seat at the table Harry took a look at the food laid out before him. There was steamed rice and miso soup, as well as rolled omelette and spinach salad with sesame sauce. While he wasn't too eager to eat so much greens, he had to admit his mom had a way of making him eat well.

As he started on his own share, his mother took a seat opposite of him her deep green eyes watching him eat, smiling approvingly when Harry took up his salad. It always gave him a warm feeling inside seeing her smile in approval like that. He ended up eating all of it again before he rose up from the table to take his dishes to the kitchen.

"Bye mom, I'll be back later!" Harry waved as he headed to the door, only to hear her cough once against her fist.

"Don't forget your bag dear." Her mirthful smirk had Harry blushing and rushing back to his room to retrieve his schoolbag, waving again and hurrying out on his way to school. Still smiling as she continued eating at a dignified pace, the raven-haired woman cast a look at a white crystal hanging at the end of a chain on the side of the bookshelf.

"Six years already. He's growing up so fast."

OOOOOO

Harry Mizushima was nervous sitting in the classroom, waiting for everyone else to show up. So far, it seemed he was going to be the only foreigner. Not that it was that surprising, it was a simple elementary school on the island they were on, there wasn't that many foreigners there to begin with.

Yet he had dreamed of seeing someone with golden hair, and a smile that had put a bit of blush on his face. It was one of those odd dreams that seemed to get so many details right, like how he knew what the classroom looked like before even walking into it, but yet there was no signs of the girl from his dream.

Just as the teacher was about to walk into the class a young girl rushed in, with hair colored a shade of gold that seemed to illuminate her surroundings. It had to be a trick of light brought on by the dawn's light shining into the classroom through the windows, but even though Harry thought girls were kind of icky, he couldn't help but look at her.

"Hi. My name is Luna." She offered her hand and he smiled to her as he reached out and shook it. "Hi, I'm Harry."

OOOOOO

Dumbledore was starting to feel his age these days. Sirius Black had broken out of Azkaban for some reason, and the Ministry had immediately demanded that he had to let Aurors into Hogwarts. It wasn't likely that Sirius Black would attack the school but who knew what the unhinged maniac might do, especially after that many years locked up with only Dementors for company.

As if that wasn't enough the Malfoys had been pushing through laws that he had struggled to stop, and the Wizengamot was clearly being divided into the Light, Dark, and neutrals these days. More often than not it was about who you could convince amongst the neutrals to swing one way in one vote and another in the next, than it was about making sure your own side knew the importance of the vote at hand. Dumbledore's coffers were running dry though, as bribes were hard to come by without access to the Potter or Black family fortunes.

He had made some arrangements with the Weasley matriarch as Harry legal guardian to have him married off with Ginny as soon as he was found and bound. The Weasleys were loyal to him and deserved better than they got, and as a married man Harry's vaults would be open to the Weasleys as well, who would make sure that Dumbledore would be compensated for his help too. Molly was already feeding her youngest daughter with tales upon tales of Harry Potter and how they would be married one day. She would be well and ready to take her place by the time Harry Potter would come to Hogwarts.

If only things could have stayed simple. The goblins of Gringotts refused him any access to the Potter family vaults despite what paperwork he brought with him, and the seizure letters opening the Black family accounts to the ministry had also been rebuffed with demand for paperwork on his trial. They had actually sent a letter to the head of the department of magical law enforcement. Thankfully, Bartemius Crouch senior was not going to let goblins dictate any terms to him, refusing to answer the questions they had about the trial to which he could not produce the documents for.

Sirius had to be caught, and put back under watch. Either in Azkaban so he could not interfere with Dumbledore's plans for Harry, or perhaps into one of the Black family properties. That would let him move his Order of the Phoenix in as well and perhaps get a permission from Black to access his vaults for the much-needed funds to put a stop to the machinations of the Malfoys.

He would have asked Remus Lupin to help him track down the man, but the werewolf had gone missing after the news broke out that Harry had disappeared. That made Dumbledore growl in annoyance once again.

So many years he had told the storekeepers that hired the man to get rid of the werewolf or they would find themselves ostracized by the polite company. So many years of pushing the man to demeaning jobs only to have even them torn away from him, breaking the man so that he would be oh so grateful when Dumbledore would eventually hire him to teach at Hogwarts, all of it was now gone like smoke in the air.

He wanted to make sure that Harry would find all his good memories in Hogwarts not outside it, he wanted Harry to grow up loving the school, and respecting Dumbledore's every word. He wanted the damn brat to look up to him and then willingly give his life to defend the school when Voldemort would eventually return.

Why could things not go like he wanted them to go? Could the fate not see that Dumbledore was doing everything he could for the Greater Good and deserved a little help? It was infuriating that not only did things seem to conspire against him, but actually ruined several well made plans.

The Potter votes he thought he would control through proxy of Dedalus Diggle, but he was shocked to find out that before their deaths the Potters had given the right of proxy to one Amelia Bones who was decidedly neutral. They had actually written a document to that effect, and both James and Lily had signed it.

The fact that James Potter had not told him about it made him think that Lily had pushed her husband to do that and then persuaded him that it was not important to tell Dumbledore about it if they were so safe under Fidelius anyway. Oh how he had raged when he learned about that deception. He had trashed his office with magic and screamed so many obscenities that if his office was not permanently warded so that no sound from inside could pass outside while the door was closed, the whole school would be blushing.

OOOOOO

When Harry came home from school he brought Luna with him, the two children chatting eagerly together. Harry was excited to meet someone else from Britain and Luna was happy to talk with someone that did not mock her for believing in fantastical beings. Harry had actually volunteered to help her look for them during the summer.

"Luna, this is my mom, Mizushima Mizuki. Mom, this is Luna Lovegood, her family moved in just a couple weeks ago."

Luna gazed upon the raven-haired woman with piercing green eyes that were so similar to Harry's own, but yet different. The woman was sizing Luna up with her own gaze, and smiling to her approvingly gestured for the two to come in.

"You had a good timing, I got some cookies in the oven, if you tell me what you thought of your first day at school then we can have some afterwards."

The two children began to eagerly explain about their schoolday while Mizuki gazed at the two of them. She had not expected Harry to make friends with a girl at this early age but she was a little amused. Perhaps her son didn't end up fearing cooties then, and Luna seemed like a sweet girl if a little mysterious at times.

Lily had told her that one of her dreams of the future involved a fay of golden hair, ethereal with a vision of both this world and one beyond, that might teach Harry to control his own dreams in time. Mizuki was not entirely convinced yet, but she had to admit the term 'fay' seemed to fit Luna perfectly. Smiling to the children warmly as she watched them indulge on the oven-fresh cookies a little later she felt better about the future, yet still worrying. Lily's dreams had warned her of several other threats, and just because they had come to a better path so far did not mean they were in the clear.

OOOOOO

Sirius Black stalked around the Weasley family home in the shape of a Grim, snarling to himself as he waited. It would take a while still but the traitor would return home with the boy, and then Sirius black would capture the bastard. Even without a wand he could subdue that bastard, and drag him out in the public and let everyone know that Sirius Black was innocent. Well at least innocent to what he had been charged for and sent to Azkaban over.

Lily had warned him but he had not believed her 'silly dreams' could be real, but after being arrested that awful fall evening when he had gone after the traitorous rat he had become a believer. For six long years he had suffered in the Azkaban but the time of retribution was near. He would have his vengeance, and his freedom, when the traitor would expose the truth and the ministry would find itself shaken up by a yet another scandal.

They had thrown an innocent man into the jail without a trial, and he was the Head of his family as well. That would not go over well, and the press would have a field day, and powerful men and women would have to ask if they could do that to Sirius, could they do that to them as well. It would set a wave of chaos through the society, and spark anger and resentment towards those guilty of throwing him in jail without as much as a show trial.

Dumbledore was the main bastard, but Bartemius Crouch senior was another. He should go join his son in the Azkaban for what he had done to Sirius. He wanted Fudge's head on a spike as well, the fat bastard had built himself up from his involvement in capturing the dangerous criminal, and then refusing to investigate the case afterwards even as the solicitor that Lily had hired argued the case that Sirius Black had never received a trial.

One more nail in Dumbledore's coffin was that the man had actually suppressed that bit of news, refusing to let it get into the prophet, going as far as to ask Fudge to add sensors to the paper to prevent anti-ministerial news from being dispersed to the populace. After the fallout from his earlier failings, Dumbledore had gotten a lot more wary of the public opinion. The minister had seen it as a credible threat to his own status and gone along with it, and since his solicitor had proof of that it would make their fall all the more delicious vengeance for him.

The rat was the lynch-pin. As much as Sirius hated having to take the bastard in alive, a corpse would only prove that he had not killed Pettigrew back when they said he had, and they would spin the tale so that the truth would be drowned out by lies. No, she had to do as Lily had taught her to, to unleash his inner Slytherin. It helped that she had told him to consider it one massive prank which would go to the top of the list right next to the time that they'd charmed Snape's robes to turn invisible to everyone but him whenever he walked into the great hall.

Now there was a memory that was both so good and so awful the Dementors hadn't been able to touch it, he thought with a grin on his grim face. Not long anymore, he thought to himself and waited. The rat was with Percy, Lily's words were clear, the family of fiery hair would offer a shelter for many years, but the only time he was not under the wards was when he was being carried home by one of the boys.

Dawn was breaking soon, but it would be a while still before the lad would come home. They might just end the school year early since he escaped though, so he had to be ready to act on a moment's notice. Thankfully the Weasleys were bad at degnoming their garden. Sirius' grim form was not forced to go hungry as he waited.

OOOOOO

Second Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 03: Revelations

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

Somedays it seemed Albus Dumbledore should not bother to get out of bed. His morning began with a hearty breakfast and a near-heart attack when he read the Daily Prophet's headlines. _Sirius Black Exonerated by French! Peter Pettigrew Alive and the True Traitor!_ That was bad, not only was his reputation among the ICW in tatters but the French took particular pleasure in snubbing him and would refuse to let him influence this.

'_Our French Counterpart, Actualités Magiques, had this to say: Sirius Black was condemned to Azkaban late in 1981 when he was captured by the British Aurors at the scene of carnage where Peter Pettigrew and several mundane (editor's note: Mundane is French term for Muggles) citizens had been killed by what was believed to be an overpowered blasting curse. He was never given a trial, instead this man was thrown into Azkaban prison and left there to rot, while the British Ministry considered it a case closed.' _

'_The article further points out accurately just how illegal this course of action was: all British magical citizens are assured a right to trial before Wizengamot, yet this right was denied to a man as powerful as the Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black. The Chief Wizard Dumbledore illegally claimed there was no need for a trial, and Mister Bartemius Crouch Senior was more than happy to throw the man in jail.'_

'_It should be noted that this same Crouch gave a trial to his own son as well, convicting Crouch Junior as a deatheater to a life in Azkaban, but nobody ever gave a trial to Sirius Black. Why? It was because Dumbledore assumed control of the Potter boy when Harry's __**Godfather**__ Sirius Black was unable to perform his duties, being locked in Azkaban under Dumbledore's orders.'_

'_The trial under Veritaserum proved that Dumbledore knew of the switch, having been present when James and Lily Potter decided on changing their secret keeper from Sirius to Peter Pettigrew. Peter was a deatheater who was spying on the Potters and Dumbledore while pretending to be their friend, and turned to his master as soon as he had the means to ensure one more of his master's enemies would fall. When Sirius Black confronted Pettigrew that dark night, Peter blasted the ground while transforming his illegal animagus form to escape, leaving behind a severed finger and a badly shaken Sirius Black, as well as an exploded gasline which nearly killed Pettigrew and Black as well when that explosion occurred.'_

'_Pettigrew listed several British names as confirmed deatheaters and further testified that the dark mark cannot be taken under force. It has to be accepted in full control of one's own mind and faculties or it will not stick. The French Ministry of Magic has issued this statement: Anyone caught with the Dark Mark on French soil is considered at terrorist and will be captured and executed, regardless of nationality.'_

Oh damn. This was bad. Albus Dumbledore was being painted as a villain by this article, and it was heavily censored already but the French version undoubtedly had even more juicy details to it, and there would be quite a lot of people who would want to see that. _Damn Sirius, and damn Peter! Most of all, damn Lily! He was sure that somehow that bloody bitch was behind this as well! How did Sirius manage to find Peter after all this time?_

Albus' thoughts were interrupted by the door to his office being shoved open by a furious Minerva McGonagall. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore! Just what kind of a mess have you created this time!?" Full name, furious look in her eyes, breathing quickly and fingernails looking a lot sharper than they ought to be. She was borderline transformed into a cat, and if she had transformed she would undoubtedly rip his face open to express her displeasure of learning what Albus had done.

No, his morning had definitely not started the way he wanted it to.

OOOOOO

Stomping back and forth in his hotel room and blaming himself for being so caught up with catching the traitor, not being there for Harry when the boy needed him, Sirius Black was a free man in the eyes of the law but in his own eyes he was guilty of abandoning the boy and his disappearance weighed heavily on his soul. Of course Harry should have come first, but he had never expected Dumbledore to betray him and the others. The old man attempted to look like a jovial grandfather that took care of everything, even forgiving them for their prankster ways, but Lily had seen right through him.

Lily's first warning had gone unheeded, but Sirius Black learned quickly. Six years in Azkaban was a long time to wait, but he had struck when Lily had advised him, and it had worked. Granted, the French had arrested him on the spot when he arrived but they had at least heard him out, and on checking the rat he brought with him they had enough evidence to open the case again and demand the trial transcripts from the British.

Being rebuffed and told not to dig into things that they were long buried, the French had done some investigating of their own and contacted the mundane British Ministry, and gotten their answers that way. The memories Sirius Black provided also answered a lot of questions and helped build up his defense. In the end, his trial was mostly a formality to set the stage for the trial of a century.

Deatheaters were being announced persona non grata all over Europe, and the American Ministry for Magic had even warned their mundane counterparts of these dangerous cultists that were known to kill for pleasure, and advised for the use of deadly force. Arrests and conflicts sparked all over, and several previously hidden deatheaters were brought to trial, questioned under veritaserum, and promptly executed. Voldemort had lost at least a third of his forces thanks to the revelations of the rat.

Not that it helped Sirius conscience. Harry was gone. James and Lily were dead, and Remus had fled Britain. Snape was a professor at Hogwarts, and the British ministry was corrupted and more than a few deatheaters kept whispering in the right ears and pouring gold into the right pockets to keep themselves safe. Britain wasn't worth saving anymore, not until the ministry there was willing to take action and deal with the corruption in their midst.

The strongly worded demand to hand Sirius Black over and return their captive citizens so wrongfully accused because of the word of one _sewer rat _was rebuffed in turn by the French Ministry, who told the British Ministry in a very polite and dignified manner to fix the broken mockery of justice and governance before they came to demand anything from the other nations. It was done in an extremely colorful but polite manner at that. French was such a lovely language, managing to insult people while making it almost sound like a compliment.

Sirius' serious pondering was interrupted by a hoot of an owl on the window-still, a letter tied to its leg. Taking a deep breath and turning to face the owl Sirius cast a series of detection spells to confirm there was no nasty surprises in the letter, finding it only protected against bad weather.

Taking up the letter and opening it, Sirius' eyes widened at the contents. He read through the letter in a hurry, before turning to wave his new wand around for his belongings to pack themselves up as he began to think about where he could get an airplane ticket from the fastest. Maybe that cute French auror that had wanted to help old slanderous black to get back on his feet after his time in the dreary old prison surrounded by the haunting horrors of hateful husks.

'_Focus,' _he told himself. _'A dog that chases two birds at once will catch none, unless he's really smart. Maybe I should ask her along while I'm still recovering, because I need to go meet with my Godson? Yeah, maybe, the French are curious to find him too.'_ Sirius thought about it and then looked at the letter again.

'_But this is personal.'_ He sighed wearily. It would be oh so good to have some female company along but at the same time he couldn't betray Harry again. He couldn't risk it. If the person that had Harry wanted him to come alone, then he had to go alone. Besides, he could find cute girls later, his godson was far more important.

OOOOOO

"Mister and Missus Granger, I have called you here to talk about Hermione."

"Please tell me my little girl hasn't gotten into any trouble."

"Don't worry ma'am, its actually quite the opposite. Young Hermione is a prodigy who is outpacing her fellow students and we would like her to take an aptitude test to see if she ought to skip a year ahead, or perhaps even more."

"I don't know, she has not had that many friends and skipping ahead would separate her from them."

"Missus Granger, I'll be frank. Hermione seems to prefer the company of books to that of her fellow students, and there has been some… incidents that border on bullying. Our staff has intervened and the guilty parties have been punished, but it is obvious your daughter is very talented and would do better among people who have reached the same intellectual maturity as she has."

"If you really think it is for the best. I didn't know she was being bullied."

"That would be my fault, I hoped to correct the problem before reporting it, but I still see signs of resentment from her classmates and this possibility presented itself before I could bring the other matter to your attention. With your approval, we can arrange for the test later this week."

"Do it. We'll talk to Hermione and see what she would want to do before making the final decision whether or not she should skip ahead though."

"Thank you for taking the time to come here today."

"It was no problem, thank you for looking after our daughter."

OOOOOO

Mizuki tapped her finger on her chin while reading through the French magazine in deep thought. She had read the local paper and then purchased the French one from the newsstand near the apparition point in the Magical section. There was a fairly large number of witches and wizards on the isle, but most of them kept magic indoors and out of sight of their neighbors, though some practiced a bit of herbology in their backyards, with sufficient charms on their fences to keep the neighbors from noticing anything unusual.

The news about Sirius Black had brought a smile to her lips, at least that part of Lily's plan had gone as planned. She had gone ahead and sent a letter to him, with instructions to come to Japan if he wanted to meet with Harry, and to be at a particular café on a particular day, alone, if he wanted to meet with his Godson. It was unlikely he was still working with Dumbledore, given the news revealed in the paper, but Mizuki would follow the plans that Lily had laid out originally. Dumbledore wasn't the only one that might be tracking Sirius Black.

Waving the cherry wood wand with a yuki-onna hair within it, Mizuki conjured a light breeze out in the backyard garden for a moment, clearing her mind as she relaxed and let her training kick in. Her mental walls were solid ice, her thoughts obscured from intruders by the light flickering off of the frigid fields and the chilly mountains of her mental landscape. She remembered when she first began to build up her defenses, and practice her occlumency. Chill wind helped her even then to take that first step along the way.

Harry would need to learn it as well, it would make the classes easier when he could recall things faster and build upon his previous lessons in a more structured fashion. He had to mature a little more first though. Luna was already helping, though in a different way. Mizuki was not a seer, nor even slightly talented in divination, but Luna seemed to have at least the potential if not necessarily the focus to become a true seer herself, and if Lily's gift was in Harry as well, then Luna would be the person to nurture and nourish his talent in that.

OOOOOO

Third Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.

I would appreciate a little help with different nationalities to add a touch about them to the story.

My own research on them is surface-deep, though I hope to avoid blatant errors.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 04: Sirius Business

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

Sirius Black enjoyed flying on a broom. He might not be a Quidditch star like James Potter, but he enjoyed flying around and being his own master. His aunt had made his old home, Grimmauld Place, into a suffocating prison where freedom died and apathy reigned, but James had given him a new lease on life. The skies had been James' one true passion, well other than Lily, and perhaps pranking, but even so Sirius liked flying even if he wasn't as competitive about it.

Flying on an airplane made the brooms seem like an old, outdated and badly lacking method of travelling though. They had alcohol, big comfy chairs to rest back in, they had some muggle entertainment playing on their tely visions, and they had sexy young women serving drinks and food, and the prices were so ridiculously low that he wondered what else he had missed out on not trying more muggle things in the past.

Of course, he was flying 'first class' which apparently meant that he got the best treatment that was possible, but with prices so low, why would anyone want to fly in the second, third, or who knows how many lower classes there were in that list. Sirius wanted to be comfortable after his stint in the Azkaban, and he had paid well to get that.

Maybe a bit too well he thought later with a goofy grin as he walked out of the plane. He had gotten a bit drunk, and flirted with one of the 'stewards' who had escorted him to the bathroom to wash his face and sober up a little before they'd land. Of course, it turned out to be an excuse and Sirius could now proudly claim to be a member of some Mile High club, though he wasn't entirely sure what that meant. The woman said it wasn't part of the service though and he should be quiet about how exactly it happened, but it was hard to wipe that silly grin off of his face after that kind of a treatment. He made sure to compliment the flight, and left a wad of muggle money behind as he walked out of the airport, leaving some very baffled clerks with instructions to award the flight-crew as they emerged for first class service.

Of course, when they would go over the passenger information and find they had flown 'Lord Black' they might think him an eccentric British millionaire, and just decide to go with it. He didn't mind, he really felt a lot better than he had felt in years after that trip. Booze, babes and a vacation far away from home, if he wasn't concerned about Harry he could have kicked back and spent a few months recovering like that.

Hailing a cab as the traveler's guide instructed him to do, he gave the address to the man who didn't speak a word of English. He cursed himself briefly at having forgotten to reapply his translation charm on arrival, but at least the clerks at the airport had spoken English and understood him. Of course, he couldn't expect the same from everyone but he wasn't willing to pull out his wand near too much electronics and the address he had written down seemed to be enough for the driver.

After arriving before a rather peculiar looking café after a little while, Sirius paid his cab fare and added a nice tip on top of it, turning to look over the café again. The place had large windows revealing comfy couches with fair sized tables between them, and young women wearing a variety of maid-costumes while serving people drinks and pastries.

Sirius' eyes widened at the looks of the place, and stood still staring at the place for a moment, before walking into the 'Maid-café'. He felt a little embarrassed while a pretty brunette stopped before him to speak in Japanese, guiding him to a table and handing him a menu smiling brightly. He muttered a quick thanks and smiled to her, not understanding a word but figuring the gesture was still the same.

He began to look through the menu while waiting for the person who he was supposed to meet there, finding some relief in seeing that the menu contained both Japanese and English names for the items, and even pictures for most of them. '_Love-Love Tea, Little Sister's Cake, Pure Heart Cookies,'_ he found the names a little odd but decided to try the tea, as well as a little bit of cake while waiting. Gesturing at the two items from the menu while trying to voice them out in Japanese as well as he could, he saw the maid-girl chuckling and smiling to him sweetly before bowing and taking the menu to head to the counter, passing on his order.

As she did so, Sirius had to avert his eyes for a moment. Oi, those skirts were short. Short enough that he felt like a pervy old man sitting there. Some of these girls couldn't be older than sixteen, and that had him a bit embarrassed to be looking. Though maybe he was mistaken and it was just the outfits and the cutesy way they seemed to be acting towards the customers.

Well with no offense to old Tom, but he was definitely enjoying the staff here more than back at the Leaky Cauldron, though the quality of the tea would have to be tested carefully. Maybe several times, served by different maids each time. Noticing one of the maids having cat-ears and a tail swaying from beneath her skirt, Sirius stared in shock for a moment before wondering if the local magical society was this open to the public, or perhaps it was just a costume of some kind. The tail and the ears did look like fun though.

The person wasn't there ahead of him, but he wasn't complaining as he received his tea to find it surprisingly good, and blushed as another, slightly shorter girl with shockingly red hair came up to serve him a tray with some cake on it with a little sugar heart on top, her sweet smile and the way she called him onii-chan having Sirius embarrassed and feeling like a perverted old man again.

It was at that moment a woman with dark hair and green eyes walked in, and snapped a photograph of Sirius' embarrassed face. "Sirius Black? I'm here to talk to you about a certain young man." She smiled and ordered for herself in Japanese, before moving to sit down opposite of Sirius.

"Yes, are you the one that sent me the letter then?" He asked just to be sure, getting a brief nod in reply. Relaxing in his seat a little as he sipped on his tea he nodded his head for her to begin. He was here as her guest, and he didn't want to antagonize her despite how much he wanted to see Harry right now.

"Albus Dumbledore claimed guardianship over Harry Potter, and left him on the Dursley doorstep," she began her tail noticing Sirius' expression darkening. "I witnessed the old man vanish leaving the poor boy behind on the doorstep on a cold night. I had been warned in advance that this might happen, and though I wanted to believe it would not happen, it did."

Realization was evident on Sirius' face at those words. Lily had warned him as well, and he had disregarded her advice. She had been a bit more subtle about it with him perhaps, since he might have run to Dumbledore if she said too much, but Sirius had seen there was a very good reason for Lily's suspicions later on. A shame it was a lesson that took a few years in Azkaban to sink in.

"I took Harry with me and left, travelling to France and from there till India, before making my way back to Japan. He is well and has started going to school already, a smart young man with a bit of mischief about him. He's been suspected of a few pranks but there has not been enough evidence so far." This brought a beaming smile on Sirius' face, and a briefly whispered _'that's my godson' _accompanying a look of pride he wore.

"However, while I wanted to keep away from Dumbledore and his cronies, I believe you have seen the truth and I think Harry could use a few more people in his life that can connect him to his parents. Mister Black, would you be willing to stay in Japan for a while at least and teach Harry about his heritage? I can only do so much, because while I knew Lily I know very little about James."

Sirius could only nod his head in agreement, feeling a lot happier than he had felt in years. He was going to meet with his godson after such a long time. He was going to be able to remember the good old days and tell about them to the boy he had sworn he would protect and yet had failed in the past. He swore quietly he would become an uncle the boy would be proud to have.

Though receiving his bill alongside a small note with a lipstick mark and a phone number had him blushing beet red and wondering if Harry didn't mind if he wasn't entirely respectable all the time. First things first, he had to cast the translation charm on himself sometime soon, then he had to learn how old these maid-café girls were, especially the one who's number he had just gotten, and lastly, he had to find out if there were good places around here to go on dates.

He had spent way too much time in Azkaban instead of living, and things were looking pretty good for old Padfoot right now.

OOOOOO

Things just kept falling apart, and Dumbledore was having a real hard time hanging onto his position in the Wizengamot. There had been talk of a vote of no confidence against him, and Bartemius Crouch had already lost his position, joining his son in the Azkaban after the fiasco with Black's imprisonment. Amelia Bones took up the position, being a trusted auror squad captain and someone that had the proper amount of authority amongst her forces.

Rather than quell the rumors however, she had taken up the French offer of going through their files and evidence, and was airing the dirty laundry in public, dragging her predecessor's actions through the mud. Families like the Malfoys lost more than half their fortune in fees and bribes, trying to dodge jail time and claiming Imperius. The cases were already closed and the Minister of Magic refused to reopen them despite the new evidence, claiming that if it wasn't British it wasn't worth the effort.

It was apparent that Amelia Bones was rocking the boat and Dumbledore had already felt her ire in the Wizengamot as well. She wielded the Potter vote craftily, seeming to pick her side not according to light and dark but the effects it would have on the general populace, and she had even received a letter from Sirius Black placing her as his proxy during his recovery, seeing as if her Godson could trust her to be his proxy then so could Sirius.

That was starting to give Dumbledore an ulcer, and he was losing hair over the pressure that he was feeling from the international community. Rather than heed his advice and seek audience with him to find solutions to difficult problems, they scoffed at his attempts to find out about events beyond Britain, and the attempts to push for more resources to be spent on finding Harry Potter were being met with polite but firm refusal. Enough resources had already been spent and the boy was nowhere to be found.

They would wait and see if he would re-emerge when he turned eleven, because if he was living among the muggles under another name then they could not find the boy before then anyway, not without having any idea what the boy might look like. They had previously sought a child that might resemble his father James, but after three false leads they had given up on that as well.

He had tried to take a brief trip to France to find Sirius himself, only to find the Aurors there were instructed to bring him in for a few questions as soon as he had crossed the channel, and after being accosted and accused of a terrible list of things that they should not have any idea about, Dumbledore finally left a lot poorer and a lot angrier.

The proverbial piss in his oatmeal was the fact that when he finally managed to find out where Sirius Black had been staying the damn mutt had already left the country, and the auror were refusing to share that information. So as Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts he was wondering how to explain to the staff they would have to work on a reduced budget this year and where he was going to find money for bribes when his own accounts had been frozen for the duration of the pending investigations, and the money he had kept aside for school expenses and minor bribes had been drained down to half by the damn French.

A lot of that money made its way back to Britain to the 'victims' of his actions that could be found, but he had no way of recovering it anytime soon. There was enough to cover the basic Hogwarts expenses at least, but they would not be getting any new books into the library, any new brooms for a few years at least, and there would be absolutely no chance for a pay raise for a fair while.

He had to keep the damn ghost on the payroll too, just so he could siphon some funds for himself as he was forced to accept that his official salary would have forced Hogwarts budget on the red, and there was no way the Board of Governors would have let that go without raising hell. So he was left to simply pocketing half of the money that he was supposedly paying the ghost professor, while Snape was blackmailing him for the other half to keep quiet about the things going on at school.

Thinking about Snape he had to wonder if a pet deatheater was that useful anymore. During the early years after Voldemort's fall it had seemed that Snape had little to offer, but then the realization came to him that lot of deatheaters had children that were coming to Hogwarts in a few years, and Snape's usefulness as a dark figure they could trust and who Dumbledore could pressure into sharing anything useful with him made him a piece too valuable to be sacrificed just yet.

Eventually, the man would have to go, but Dumbledore wasn't quite sure he would be willing to kill the man, former deatheater or not. He was just that damn handsome and that snarky wit made Dumbledore smile from time to time. Oh how he loved to play the good guy when Snape tore someone down, it made him look good, Snape look even more evil, and gave the students a handy scapegoat for everything that was going wrong at Hogwarts.

OOOOOO

Fourth Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.

MHillel asked me if I plan to write about the relationship between Mizuki and Lily. I do, but not yet.

On the grammar, tely visions was an intentional typo, I hope there weren't any others though.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 05: Growing Up

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

Harry and Luna had been searching for a crumple-horned snorkack while Mizuki was out taking care of some business. While they hadn't seen any signs of one, they were both happy. The thrill was in the search, not the discovery, and for Luna this activity was a lot more fun with a friend than it had ever been to search alone.

Besides, Harry and Luna got to see a lot of interesting creatures and plants during their exploration. Their cheerful laughter echoed amidst the trees as the evening approached, finally finding the two dirty children walking back home. They had mud and dirt all over their clothes, a few scratches and mild bruises, and grins that told just how much they had enjoyed the day.

"So what will we do tomorrow night Luna?"

"Same thing we do every night Harry. Trying to take over the world!"

Harry snickered before shaking his head. "I should never have let you see that show."

Smiling serenely Luna gazed up at Harry and if they were not that young someone might have found it a little chilling just how serious she seemed to be despite that smile, the look of confidence in him in those eyes such that it hinted of knowing more than the others could.

Harry didn't notice, instead simply taking a hold of Luna's hand and squeezing it. He smiled to her, and Luna felt warm inside. Yes, she liked having a friend, and did not want to go back being alone. No matter how Harry would turn out, she would stay at his side, whether his friend or his dark mistress, whatever their future would hold, she had made her choice.

They spoke about the school, their search for the fantastic creatures that Luna dreamed about, and a few dozen different things that mattered only to them, and only because they had someone to share them with. Smiling warmly as they made their way home, they both stood in front of the Mizushima residence in a moment.

Luna finally let go of Harry's hand and waved to him before running off to her own home. Harry waved after her before opening the door and stepping inside. He didn't need a key, the door was locked to anyone but him, his mother, and Luna.

Harry knew that wasn't usual, but his mother had told him that she would tell him all about it when he was old enough. He knew he was a wizard, his mother was not keeping it a secret from him, but at the same time she had told him that he needed to be older before she could start teaching him. She had promised to show him more, but had insisted he not tell anyone else, except Luna.

When he had asked about that, Mizuki had told Harry that Luna was a witch. It had made him stare at his mom wide-eyed, before she explained that boys were wizards and girls were witches, and there was nothing bad about it even if some people thought poorly of witches. She had shared a little about the secret with him, but then told him not to worry about magic, that he would learn more when he was ready.

That evening as he stepped in the house he found his mom and a strange man seated in the living room, looking right at him. The man had a shaggy hair and a fine suit that looked a little out of place on him, too formal for the amused grin on his face as he looked Harry over. His mother shook her head a bit amused before pointing her wand at him and wordlessly waving it, causing the stains to vanish, and brushing a cool wind over his form even through his clothes, leaving him shivering for a second.

"I hope you had fun son, but we have to talk. This is Sirius Black. He knew your first mother, and your father."

Those few words hit Harry like a wrecking ball. He knew Mizuki was not his real mom, but she had become a mom to him over the years. She took care of him and loved him, and in his eyes there was no difference. His first mom gave birth to him and took care of him until they were killed, but Mizuki had taken him in and given him a home and love that made it a home since then.

He rarely thought about his parents, feeling a little melancholic at the fact they were gone before he was old enough to remember them, and a little guilty for being so happy when they weren't there to see it. Mizuki always reminded him that they had died making sure he would survive, and that they would be happy that Harry could find happiness in life. That he had no reason to feel guilty for surviving, rather that he honored their sacrifice by living the life to its fullest.

Yet all those emotions were brought up once again, and stronger than ever, when he gazed upon this man, this Sirius Black. Standing up slowly, the man smiled at him and offered his hand. "Hello Harry. I'm Sirius, and I'm your godfather. You look like your father, but you have your mother's eyes." Casting a look at Mizuki and then at Harry, he chuckled then. "Both your mothers eyes."

OOOOOO

A year passed, and while Sirius travelled back to England a couple of times to sell some of his properties there (such as the bleak and foreboding Grimmauld Place), he had also gathered a wealth of British knowledge and packed it into multi-compartment trunks which he quickly shrank and carried with him. Travelling back to Japan he had begun his own preparations, just as Mizuki had.

Both of them would teach Harry about magic, both the western and the eastern practices, but they had to wait. As powerful as Harry might be, his magic had to stabilize first. It was still raging wildly, as his magic had been bound, both by his parents and by Dumbledore.

The first binding would have unravelled by the time he was ten years old, just in time to learn a bit of magic before going to school. The second one would have constricted him until he died, or until Dumbledore chose to jerk the bindings open, likely causing Harry to perish as the waves of his own magic would have overwhelmed him.

Those bonds had been shattered when the healers took Harry in when he was a mere babe in a basket. The spells had sought to destroy Dumbledore's bindings, but his parents bindings were lost as well. Harry was powerful, there was no doubt about that, but he had learned control with Mizuki, and now his core just had to stabilize properly, something that occurred around the age of nine to eleven.

Many of the British purebloods couldn't start stabilizing until they were almost eleven, so they never began schooling before that, but in the east there was no such thing as a true 'pureblood' by western standard, as the importance of avoiding inbreeding had been witnessed in the past and was now an acknowledged fact.

He would be a powerful wizard, and Mizuki believed in the saying 'Knowledge is Power'. Lily had proven that forewarned was forearmed, and a sizable grounding in different schools of magic and views of the very nature of magic would allow Harry to achieve so much more. Luna was already taking Harry to journeys in their dreams, and Harry's dreams had begun to show signs of the gift.

He had known about a nasty storm ahead of time. He had known when a few bullies at the school had planned to jump both him and Luna. He had seen beforehand in a dream that Sirius was about to be attacked by a strange wizard when he went to Britain, a warning that had Sirius reconsider his plans. He still travelled, but he stopped outside of London to drink some polyjuice, taking care of his business in disguise.

Harry was learning the basics of occlumency, and surprised Mizuki with his ability to learn. Harry seemed to have a natural talent with magic, it didn't make him an equal of Merlin by any means, but he was clever, his magic seemed adaptive and he was fascinated by the magical arts, wanting to learn and thus putting a lot of effort into studying what his mom and uncle were willing to let him study.

Luna had been welcomed to study with him, but the two of them made sure they always had time to go out and search for the crumple-horned snorkack. The one time that Sirius had teased them that they could just say so if they wanted to play, they didn't need to make up reasons, Harry had kicked him in the shin and comforted Luna. It was a long time till they forgave him for hurting Luna by doubting her so, a mistake that Sirius did not repeat having come to understand how protective Harry was of his friend.

They had invited Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father, into visiting them as well a few times but the man preferred to stay by himself. He was actually glad that Luna had interests outside of the home, confiding to Mizuki and Sirius that he did not believe his sanity had survived intact the death of his wife, and only Luna's visions had helped them avoid ruin in the past. Now that Luna had someone else to care for her, the peculiar man had dedicated himself to his studies, and preparing for his own fate. He added that unlike most seers, he saw very little except the one thing that no Seer should be able to see directly. He had sawn his own death.

He knew Sirius was an animagus, and told him that now that he had 'seen a Grim' it would not be long anymore.

OOOOOO

Molly Weasley mentally cursed her slow squib cousin. The man had seemed useful when he realized that Sirius Black was coming and going by Muggle means, and Molly had told him to send a word as soon as Sirius next showed up in Britain. She didn't want to know how the squib did it, only that it got done, and she had been praised for her ingenuity by Dumbledore as well.

It had been just lucky, she wanted to one up the annoying Diggory lady by proving her cooking was the best, and for that she needed some of the muggle spices. Her cousin was more than happy to help, and even if he was a squib he could sometimes lend a hand like that, and in turn Molly was willing to do a little bit of magic for the sake of the family. Besides, nobody else in Wizarding Britain used the kind of spices she got her hands on, and victory would be assured.

Then the conversation about the news talking about a British nobleman who was flying first-class and tipping like crazy was returning to Britain again and the press was on the move to get a shot of this exonerated nobleman that had actually been chased as a serial killer when he first escaped. The fact that Molly had informed Dumbledore of this had lead to her position as Albus' second in command for a while. Unfortunately the squib had failed to inform her in time that the man was coming again, as there was no news coverage this time and the man had pulled the information of local arrivals through a friend he had on the airport.

Long story short, by the time that Molly reported it to Dumbledore and they sent people to watch after Diagon Alley it seemed that the scoundrel Sirius Black had come and gone. They needed to snatch the man up, it was important for Albus to learn what he could about where Harry Potter might be, but the man was elusive as a greased eel.

The Order of the Phoenix had been resurrected, but with the financial woes that the order was suffering from they had to meet in different members' homes instead of having a proper place to gather. Hogwarts would have been good but Dumbledore considered it too dangerous to hold important meetings so close to dozens of adventurous children who might be too eager to overhear what such prominent members of the light were discussing together.

Molly wanted the boy found, and the Order provided at least some resources for the search. She wanted the boy found, bound to her Ginny, and providing her family with the luxury they deserved. She worked herself silly taking care of them all, having thought she'd nabbed a fine husband but finding out that despite his connections the man was content on staying a minor character in the ministry instead of chasing after the recognition and power that he should have sought after.

Molly Weasley made due with what her family had, but in her heart she knew they deserved better, and if she had to wed the boy to her daughter with a wand on the back of his neck then she would do so. Of course, as soon as what was his was hers, Molly would be glad to dispose of the lad. After all, there was no reason for her Ginny to soil her pureblood lineage with a half-blood. The widow of a boy who lived could find a great husband as long as she was still untouched after all, and then they'd have wealth, prestige and recognition.

Yet first they needed to find that damn boy. Albus was trying to reassure her that the list of British wizards and witches would lead them to Harry, when his acceptance letter would be sent, but Molly wasn't so sure. Too many things had gone wrong already, and she wasn't willing to bet her comfortable future on a 'maybe', she wanted to hedge the bets in her favor. Finding the boy and getting him hitched with Ginny. There was no such thing as Divorce in Magical Britain.

Probably because if there was, they would hemorrhage a lot of young women to other countries when they learned what the British wizards were really like once they felt they were in power. It took a tough, strong woman like her to subdue a husband and make them dance to her whim, rather than the other way around.

Narcissa Malfoy supposedly manipulated her husband in more sinful manner, but even then it was the man of the family that controlled things in public and probably ordered her around in private as well. Yes, the wizards wanted the marriages to be binding, and in this case between Harry and Ginny, that would work to her favor. Till death does them part, and she'd just be hurrying the process along.

OOOOOO

Fifth Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.

This is the last of 'childhood' chapters, I will advance the story to Harry's eleventh birthday next.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 06: Letters

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

Harry's eleventh birthday party was a merry affair with cake, soda and icecream. While Harry and Luna had made a few enemies at school refusing to bow down to the bullies, they had also made some loyal friends and had enjoyed having their company on that birthday. Even more so because of the fact Harry had informed their teacher that he would have to transfer soon, and they had found out. So they had shown up to celebrate Harry's birthday in a group, wishing him luck wherever he would be going, and a lot of promises made that they would keep Luna safe in his absence, though she remarked she would likely be following Harry in a year.

Harry and Luna were both chatting excitedly about the letters that Harry had received a little earlier, while Mizuki and Sirius were having a bit of wine and having a discussion of their own. The other children had sat down to play games or rush around in the garden for a bit, but Harry had asked for a chance to speak privately with Luna a moment as things were calming down, and the other childrens had made room. They might be friends with Harry, but only Luna was truly close to the boy who dared to challenge the bullies (and got away with it).

"So you got invitations to Youkai academy, Watatsumi school of magic, and Mahou Institute. Where do you plan to attend?" Luna watched him eagerly as Harry held the three invitations a little embarrassedly.

"I am not sure just yet. Youkai academy would let me continue normal classes alongside magical studies, and they got a lot of magical beings there. It could be worth going there, but mom did warn me that they aren't all friendly. Still, I am curious."

Luna nod her head at this and smiled to Harry encouragingly. She was curious about the other options as well, but she knew that she would probably chase after Harry even if she would have preferred another option herself once her turn came.

"The Watatsumi seems to have pretty intensive classes in magic but they don't teach anything about the mundane world, preferring to keep to themselves. Its a long-standing traditional school by the sea, and has real strict rules it seems. I am not that sure I would fit in there, I mean I love magic but there's so much more in life too."

They had talked about it, and while Luna preferred to do things by magic usually she could see Harry's point. Relying solely on magic could make a person lazy, and she saw that Harry took pride in being able to do things for himself, even without magic. Truthfully, it had been pretty fun to cook without magic, though she had burnt her fingertip a couple of times and gotten a small nick on her thumb. Seeing Harry's smile when she showed off what she had made still had her blushing a little.

"The Mahou Institute seems to be a bit in between, they got mostly classes on magic, but they offer the necessary classes to continue with the mundane education as well. They seem to treat magic more like a science though, with experiments and safeguards in place. Apparently they pose as a private school with invitation only policy to the mundane world, under a second name which the graduates may use once they finish their studies there, should they wish to continue on the mundane side."

Luna nod her head and thought about it a bit. The Youkai academy educated a lot of monsters, and had a focus on fitting in as well as understanding the world. They had classes on magic, but it was in a smaller portion. On that note, most of the students there would be older from what she had heard. Fitting in would be difficult, though they were supposed to have good teachers to help even such young students.

The Watatsumi was a school of choice for many shrine princesses born of magical lineage. They would learn the rituals, the incantations, and the strength of will through rigid discipline. It would suit their particular brand of magic very well, but it might be suffocating for Harry and her, since they also learned of the western style of magic on their free time. Still, the discpline might be useful in later life, so she didn't want to dismiss it entirely.

Mahou Institute was intense in another way, they would learn a lot but they would not have much free time at hand. On the other hand, it mixed some classes in interesting ways. Understanding the mathematical formulas aided with Arithmancy and that in turn lended itself to warding, which had opened new avenues of thought in the physics. Astronomy had made huge leaps on the mundane side, and the divination methods relying on stars became more accurate thanks to that, although divination was largely considered a wooly subject. It was, after all, a gift that few actually had relying more on innate talent than learned knowledge. The Institute would teach them a lot but it would leave them totally drained as well.

While she knew Hogwarts was seven years long, the Mahou Institute would take eight, finishing about when they would have gotten out of high school. Watatsumi offered six years of intense studies, and Youkai academy would offer the younger year classes for five years, and after that a student could transfer to the main section of the school for three more years of studies among the main populace, students that came in just for those three years.

"Have you decided on where you want to go though?" Luna inquired curiously, earning a small smile and a nod from Harry. "Well, I think so but I wanted to talk about it with you first. I figure it would be more fun to see you again next year even if I have to go ahead first, so I thought we'd make sure we can both enjoy the experience." His answer earned hiim a beaming smile from Luna, who nod quickly to him and then chuckled. "Alright spill it, where are we going?"

OOOOOO

"Have you told Harry yet?" Sirius asked a little uncertainly, this was a bit uncomfortable topic for him after all. Mizuki had not kept many things secret from Harry, but there were some that were some things that Harry didn't have to hear about until he was older. She wasn't going to hide them from him if he asked, but it seemed like an unspoken agreement between them. He didn't want to press her for answers, and she didn't want to say too much just yet.

"I will in a couple of years. Lily would be so proud of him, but I still wonder about his reaction. I wish Lily had been wrong and it was all just paranoia getting to her. Though I am glad I got Harry in my life." She smiled a bit wistfully, a smile mirrored by Sirius who sighed slightly and nod his head in return. "He does have that effect on people."

A comfortable silence resumed for a moment as they sipped on their wine, though Sirius had been watching their surroundings carefully, alert for any signs of additional owls trying to intrude on the Mizushima household. They had not seen any signs of one particular school and they were hoping there wouldn't be any, but there was no guarantees. Although Harry was far away from his own homeland, the Hogwarts scroll might reveal his location and lead to a confrontation. It was a day they had both come to dread, though they maintained hope the distance and his changed name would protect him somewhat, along with the adoption to the Mizushima family and the fact that Potter vaults and magic no longer resided in Britain.

OOOOOO

"Japan. Harry Potter is in Japan!" Dumbledore shouted and slammed the letter to the table with force, growling angrily as Minerva McGonagall stared at the old man quietly. Her eyes were telling him the same as before, she told him so, leaving the boy at the Dursley doorstep was a big mistake. Her respect for the old man had vaned over the years, seeing his bumbling attempts to reassert control on the boy's life but without even a clue of where the boy had gotten to there had been very little that Dumbledore could accomplish.

When the time came for Harry's Hogwarts letter to be written the scroll gave he boy's location, only it was a mail-box in Japan rather than a home address. Whoever had taken the boy was rerouting his mail through a service that kept tracking charms and the like from ending up in his hands, and unfortunately that also prevented the Hogwarts scroll from giving out the boy's address, seeing as it was spelled to only reveal a location to send the letter to, strengthening the owls ability to deliver the message when those simply addressed to Mr. Potter had returned unopened each time.

"How did the boy end up that far, and why for that matter? No, I need to get to the Wizengamot, speak to Cornelius, and straighten this whole mess up. That boy belongs in Britain, and in Hogwarts, and those orientals are going to hand over the boy and apologise for causing this mess." He grumbled while moving to the fireplace even as Minerva's eyebrow twitched.

"Albus, really I know the boy's disappearance gets you riled up but you are forgetting your manners. You are a respectable wizard, not a foul-mouthed youth who doesn't think about what he spouts from his mouth. Now, what do you think the Wizengamot can do? ICW only had power in Europe, since nobody beyond Europe has been willing to ever sign it. Other countries have their own bonds, the Pan-Asian Coalition of Magic would not take kindly on the Wizengamot and ICW trying to muscle in on their territory either."

The thought made Albus wince and grimace. She had a point, but even the mild calming draught in his favorite candies couldn't help him much anymore. His bloodpressure was through the roof and the topic of Potter drove him to a fit. The boy's fortune should have been his, the Potter family power should have been his to wield in the Wizengamot, the prestige of being Harry's guardian should have been his, and most importantly, the boy should have already been here a pliable little martyr and a weapon to throw at Voldemort, after a lot of careful testing of course. The boy would be tested, tormented, and built up into a weapon to solve the problem of that prophecy. With that out of the way and Voldemort worn out, Dumbledore could kill or imprison the man and be the hero again.

Yet the thought of Potter being so far away, in the hands of those _people _that didn't think that Albus Dumbledore was a demigod who's word was law and who should always get what Albus Dumbledore wanted was a serious problem for him. "You are right Minerva, but his parents would have wanted the boy to attend Hogwarts, and I will make certain that he will have the opportunity. Please send that letter soon, I will be having a talk with Cornelius and seeing if I can drum up support for a motion to bring our lost boy back home."

As Albus walked to the fireplace to floo over to the Minister's office Minerva turned to leave, only to be interrupted by a voice she hadn't expected.

"You know this is going to fail spectacularily, don't you? The headmaster's obsession is starting to affect his sanity, and your position as his Deputy will probably be changed to that of the Headmistress if he continues down this road."

The Sorting Hat and Minerva both agreed on that subject, Albus was showing signs of obsession and his slip-ups were getting more apparent, and numerous. The man was positively ancient and he had served the world for so long without rest, it was not unthinkable that he was starting to fall apart. It was sad but true that even the greatest would eventually come undone.

OOOOOO

Molly Weasley was working in the kitchen, a set of two cauldrons bubbling nearby. One of them held a hearty stew that would feed the whole family for the rest of the day, with a mouth-watering aroma that she allowed to float through the entire house making sure the people knew to obey her. Fred and George would not be joining them for the meal because they had dared prank her poor Ginny for saying she was going to marry Harry Potter.

Those two should take example of their brother Percy, the boy was working hard to become a head boy and dedicating himself to his studies and exemplary performance at the school. Of course, the boy had abit of an attitude towards his mother and father, but it was his age and the fact the boy was stretching out his wings to leave the nest. Molly had mixed feelings of pride and irritation about that.

Still, it was Ron that worried her. The boy was unwilling to spend time learning charms, obsessing over the Cannons with his father, playing Quiddish and rarely remembering to do the chores. While the twins were a handful they did their chores quickly and quietly so they could get back to their own devices fast.

A second scent of roses and morning dew floated to her nose and she smiled, knowing that particular scent in turn was kept by magic in the kitchen, and sealed so it would not mingle with the scent of the meal. Amortentia was a powerful tool, and though she was no longer dosing her husband, having convinced him by other means to remain faithfully at her side, she still found it useful to keep some in store. It would be too early for Harry even if he came to Hogwarts this year, but perhaps it was time for Percy to need motherly advice about how to court a woman. She knew there was a promising female student at Hogwarts she was sure could aid her son to reach the top, and besides, she wanted grandbabies eventually.

OOOOOO

Sixth Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.

On the reviews, I normally prefer the kind and motherly Molly but in this story Dumbledore's obsessive nature is starting to destroy him, and a good story needs a good villain. Molly is a very powerful person and someone that would be able to do a lot of harm if her heart truly was black. I don't believe that Molly is such a person, but in this story she had spent a lot of time dealing with Dumbledore and that has affected her view of the world as well. Gazing into the abyss, the abyss gazes into the viewer.

I considered letting the people voice their opinions on where Harry and Luna should study, but it would delay the next chapter a while if I did. I plan to have the next chapter out soon, but it might have to wait until Thursday or Friday.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 07: Preparing for First Year

_A/N: This is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make any money from this._

OOOOOO

After the birthday party had come to an end Harry and Luna were helping Mizuki clean up the house. Sirius had left to take care of some business, though the smirk he had made Harry wonder if the man was planning on something fun again. Sirius came up with the best surprises sometimes, though he was a wicked prankster when he got on the mood.

"So you and Luna have made up your mind huh?" Mizuki asked with a sly smile on her face, earning a chuckle and a nod from Harry. "Yes, I thought it over and Luna agrees with me." He looked at the blonde girl for confirmation, his gaze met by her own, and a smile on her lips as she nodded in reply.

"Alright, we will go get your books and equipment soon. I think we should get Luna her copies as well so she can start reading a bit early, since I am sure you two will be keeping in touch even before she joins you next year." Mizuki's teasing tone earned a faint blush from Harry.

"I would like that." Luna said with a serene smile, bowing her head a little in gratitude. Mizuki smiled and reached over to pet the blonde girl's hair in a tender manner. "Alright, let's finish up here and we will go. We need to drop by Gringotts to get you both some gold for shopping too."

Harry smiled as he cleaned, thinking about what he could do with a wand of his own. He would also be eager to learn more about potions, he had taken an interest in them after learning his mother was great with potions and charms, and having learned of his father's talent for transfiguration and passion for flying, Harry had sought to learn more of those all. Flying and potions were easiest, since they did not require a wand.

Still, he wanted to see what the other classes were like, to wield a wand that belonged to him rather than his mother, and to see what wonders awaited him. He felt reasonably sure that learning both the western and eastern styles of magic would allow him to surprise those who might try and bully him. Harry Potter did not allow bullies to rule even without magic, he was certainly not going to make way for them once he had magic at his side as well.

OOOOOO

It was an early morning, and most of the ICW members had arrived just after breakfast to hear what Albus Dumbledore had to say that was so urgent. They would not have bothered if not for the fact the British Minister insisted as well. Dumbledore was still trying to reclaim his seat, but he was starting to become a headache to the members to the point they considered banning him from all of their meetings. The man once held power in his hands on far too many levels, and he seemed insistent to get it back.

The doors opened and the pompous man with a finely tailored black vest and a spotless bowler hat on his head stomped ahead in front of the man in a dark blue robe with twinkling stars and planets inscribed to it. Minister Fudge and Albus Dumbledore walked in like they owned the place, and expected everyone to be in awe.

A decade ago, Albus might have held a captive audience, but his failures had tarnished the previously trustworthy image to the point that the members of the ICW considered him a meddling old coot, unwilling to meet him alone. Whispers about obliviations, compulsion charms, and legilimency to learn secrets the old man should have no idea about was enough to make politicians refuse entry to the man in their private domains. The man was not to be trusted, and Fudge was Albus' puppet for now, although rumors had it that another man was trying to replace those strings that Fudge danced to by ones laden with gold to seduce the man away from Dumbledore's side.

The two of them stopped, and Fudge nod his head at Albus who took a step ahead to begin speaking, a somewhat smug expression on his face. "Our long search had proven fruitful. Though we thought the boy was lost to us, we have found Harry Potter!"

The muttering began immediately, people looking at one another and looking around for the reactions others had. They wanted the young boy to be well, the public loved him after all, but Albus had lost the boy before and they were doubtful of any good news the old man brought. They wanted proof.

"Yesterday as we began preparations for this school year I expected to see our young child's name on the list of students, and I was right to assume so. The scroll absorbs magic from Hogwarts itself, sitting atop laylines, so its magic is centuries old and capable of overpowering whatever methods might be used to hide witches or wizards that need an education. However, our lost boy has got far further than we thought."

Dumbledore's words earned some doubtful looks still but also a measure of hope. The scroll at Hogwarts was considered a relic of the founders, meant to help locate young students even from parents that might want to hide their gifted child by whatever methods they could come up with, as well as reveal the sons of wizards that had tried to hide their indiscretions, even through the thickest wards.

"Harry Potter is in Japan, and we are here to bring our boy back home. Esteemed members, I call for a vote to bring Harry Potter back to Britain, and to Hogwarts." He finished smugly. They would go along with it, just to save their own reputation. They wanted to be seen as people that returned the lost savior to his homeland, and make those nay-sayers that felt ICW was just a tiresome cost without benefits a bloody nose by showing their ability, Albus was certain of it.

"Japan? As in within Pan Asian Coalition of Magic's territory? No!" The chairman shouted and slammed his hand on his desk. His expression was grim as he looked at the speechless old man and the fat minister who was sputtering in shock. "Now see you-" The minister began to say, but the chairman continued to speak, his voice notably louder than the minister's.

"PACoM is not only stronger than ICW given the sheer number of wizards and witches there, but they have a different approach to many traditions we have accepted. If Potter is in PACoM territory, then ICW will not make any demands of his return. We may request information and try and contact Potter and his caretakers, but it must be done politely. PACoM is a power we do not wish to provoke."

To be refused like this was a disaster. Albus had no time for political dancing around the topic, he needed the ruddy bastard back to Britain and into Hogwarts so he could mold the boy into a weapon to throw at Voldemort. Why didn't these fools see that it was for the greater good of Albus Dumbledore that the boy was returned to him immediately? He defeated Grindewald, he deserved to have at least this much.

"Master Delacour, I object, Harry Potter is a British citizen and I am his magical guardian! His removal from Britain was an illegal act, and not only should these orientals be swift to return him but be grateful we only demand those directly guilty for taking him to be punished, rather than all of them for hiding the lad!" Albus' voice was met with an approving nod and an smirk from the british Minister, but the chairman glared at the headmaster in a way that was far from promising.

"Mister Dumbledore, there are a few people from PACoM countries attending Hogwarts this year, their parents having moved into ICW territory and choosing to have their child attend a local school. You should talk to them and seek to gain some understanding of what kind of a culture you are dealing with. If we went there making demands like that, they would throw us out and the trade we have going on would suffer. We are importing a number of products, including several _essential _potion components, that could be denied to us and sold to our American cousins instead if we tried to put pressure on them. It would be disastrous. We will inquire onto this, but we will do it politely, on their terms."

Albus Dumbledore was not a happy man, but popping five lemon drops into his mouth he chewed them roughly in order to get a little calmer. He needed the boy, but throwing a tantrum here would probably make him seem completely unacceptable guardian for the boy. Thank Merlin for the Calming Draught, otherwise he would have made some choice remarks about the damn frog-eaters and their cowardice, and that would just be the start.

OOOOOO

Mizuki lead Harry by hand, the young boy was looking around thrilled while they walked along at the magical shopping district. Several stores offered goods for passing wizards and witches, from components and gadgets, to fine robes and foci, and magical pets and powerful tomes. Luna was smiling serenely while walking at his other side, looking around curious too although she would not be attending this year yet.

"So what classes should we get books for?" Mizuki's question was met by Harry stopping to dig through his pockets for the folded-up page of classes and the books they needed to get for them. "Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, Herbology, and Potions. There's also the mundane subjects of Math, Sciences, and Sports."

Mizuki nod her head approvingly. They would be busy but not overworked with that schedule, and the introduction to sciences would be easier for them since there were some wizards and witches that knew next to nothing about the mundane world, so caught up in the old ways. They would catch up though, and the sciences class would be divided into smaller topics that would be optional later on. Basic understanding of the world around them was necessary, and more was definitely encouraged, but the staff did not demand they know everything about everything. She felt it was a delicate balance that Mahou Institute was trying to hold.

"Well we can get the books there, and then a foci for you to use Harry. Do you want a traditional wand or are you planning on something special?" She teased poking his side as Luna giggled, looking at a window of a foci maker, showcasing different rings, wands, staffs and pendants, and so on for a fair list of things. "How about a pair of matching rings?" Luna asked innocently, earning a blush from Harry and a chuckle from Mizuki.

The two of them were just so cute to her and Mizuki felt happy for Harry. She could feel the dark clouds gathering to disrupt their harmony already, and wondered what would come. Harry could not feel it, seers rarely knew things about themselves but they did know about those around them. Luna might know, she seemed to have been pushing Harry to smile more lately, she might be worried as well.

As they stepped into the bookstore they were met with a bit of chaos as Mizuki's eyes narrowed and she grit her teeth together quietly. There was a line of people holding books and chattering together loudly, waiting for a sexy witch in a long-flowing black robe to sign their copy, her silvery hair framing a beautiful face, her pale skin reminiscent of Mizuki's own. Trying to pass unnoticed with her charges, she grimaced on hearing a familiar voice speak up.

"Mizuki-san? Is that you?" She drew a sharp breath and put up a polite smile, turning to look at the popular author with a false politeness that didn't show in her eyes. She might fool a casual observer, but anyone that knew her could sense she was holding her temper in check. "Sakura-san. It has been a long time."

The woman smiled cheerfully and looked at the two children next to Mizuki, and then at the row of customers looking between them curiously at hearing the two discussing so casually with one another. "We really do need to get together for a little chat later." Sakura offered a polite smile in turn, making a suggestion as they both had things to do for now.

"Maybe later." Mizuki nod her head and hurried with Harry and Luna to get their books, wanting to get out of there fast. Meeting with Sakura was definitely not something she had wanted to happen. Even if Sakura was not a bad person, Mizuki did not really want to have her inquiring about her life right now, and especially around Harry and Luna.

Hopefully Mizuki wouldn't see Sakura again until Harry was already in school, and she could deal with it without people overhearing, and watching their exchange. Hopefully Sirius would not be around either, she dreaded to think what would happen if those two decided to join forces. There might be consequences too dire for even obliviation to wipe out of people's memories if that came to pass.

OOOOOO

Seventh Chapter ends.

Please read and review, feedback is appreciated.

A/N2: Computer trouble. I lost the previous version of this chapter, and had little time to write on the weekend. New chapters will continue to appear, but slower until I can fix the issue.


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